


What's The Special?

by leviathncas (orphan_account)



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Awkward Flirting, Customer!Prussia, First Meeting, M/M, Pre-Slash, Waiter!Austria
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-27
Updated: 2014-04-27
Packaged: 2018-01-20 22:40:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1528307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/leviathncas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gilbert finds that the little establishment on the corner has the most awesome specials on - and off - the menu. And the best waiters, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What's The Special?

**Author's Note:**

> Part of my Foreververse AU, a collection of stories that are all fills of prompts from **imagineyourotp** over on tumblr. All stories in the 'verse are loosely interconnected. 
> 
> Prequel to [Swearing Is Art](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1431103)
> 
>  
> 
> _Imagine your OTP meeting for the first time. Person A works at a café or other small establishment, and Person B comes in one day. Person B becomes infatuated with Person A and starts to make daily visits in order to eventually ask them out._

The first time Gilbert crosses his path, he doesn't give it much thought. 

The little restaurant is new, just had its opening the week before, and Gilbert thought he'd try it out just to see. The host is bubbly, bouncing around as he leads him to a table for his awesome self by to the window with a great view of the park. He's handed a menu and complimentary water is brought to him while he looks his choices over and waits for his server. 

"What can I get you to drink?" 

Gilbert spares only a cursory glance at the guy now at his table, noting his dark hair and glasses, asking for a beer and pursing his lips as he looks at the meals. "What's the special today?" 

"Tomato basil soup with cheese, sour cream, chives, and a side of either salad or pasta." 

He hums to himself as he decides that sounds good enough, handing the guy his menu. "Then I'll have that." 

His waiter scribbles the order down on his pad and scurries off, and Gilbert is left to himself. When the guy comes back with his beer and the food, he thanks him absently and tucks in, deciding the quality is worth visiting again and leaving a generous tip for quality service on his way out. 

It was just a typical visit to a new restaurant; Gilbert doesn't think more on his visit and especially not the waiter. He does, however, think he may visit again within the next month. 

* * *

The second time Gilbert crosses his path, he learns his name in passing. 

It's a week and a half after his initial visit, and the host greets him just as cheerfully as before, leading him once again to a nice table, this time in the middle of a quiet area surrounded by families. It's a bit awkward, but he shrugs it off, once again looking over the menu as he sips at his water, waiting for his server. 

"Good afternoon. My name is Roderich, and I'll be your server today." Gilbert looks up at the bored voice, seeing the dark hair and glasses again next to his table. This time, he also notices the beauty mark next to the man's lips. "What can I get you to drink?" 

Gilbert once again orders a beer, posing the same question: "What's the special today?" 

The guy – Roderich, Gilbert thinks – shifts his weight. "Chicken parmigiana with parsley garnish, and a side of either mashed potatoes or salad." 

Again, Gilbert goes with the special, deciding on the salad as his side as he hands his menu over and waits, playing on his phone to pass the time. When Roderich comes back, food and drink in hand (or, on a tray, as it were), he smiles on reflex and finishes his meal with gusto, once again leaving a decent tip before heading out. 

And again, Gilbert doesn't pay much mind to the visit, other than to determine that the chef definitely knows what he's doing. 

* * *

The third time Gilbert crosses his path, he notices his accent. 

A month later finds him walking into the establishment, waving to the host – who he learned was Feliciano, the brother to the chef, Lovino – and following the excitable Italian to a table in the corner. With a glass and the menu set on the table, Feli flounces back to the front, and Gilbert peruses the familiar entrées as he sits. 

"Oh, hello again." 

Gilbert looks up and smiles at the familiar hair and glasses, snickering at the mildly bewildered expression on Roderich's face. "Oh, hey!" he greets back with a smirk. "This is becoming a thing, isn't it? Notice how awesome I am and just couldn't resist, could ya?" 

Roderich's lips thin to an unamused line as he glares. "I have no idea what you mean," he says, adjusting his glasses. "I'm sure it's purely coincidence.  Now, what can I get you?" 

"Gilbert," Gilbert says, grinning at the confused look he receives. "Call me Gil." 

"Gilbert, then." Roderich looks unsure of himself, but brushes it off. "What can I get you?" 

Gilbert pauses, pursing his lips in thought. "You German?" he asks instead, raising an eyebrow. "You've got a bit of an accent." 

Roderich's cheeks flush lightly, and Gilbert can't help the wolfish grin that crosses his face. "Austrian," the waiter replies reluctantly. "I was born and grew up in Vienna."

Gilbert laughs. "I'm from Berlin myself," he says, leaning back. "The Awesome Me is Prussian, though," he suddenly informs, smirking. "Don't mix it up." 

Roderich rolls his eyes with a sigh. "I've other people to tend to," he says, tapping his pad. 

Gilbert just snickers again. "What's the special today?" 

" _Tortellini al forno_ with added Portobello mushrooms and a side salad." 

Gilbert hands him his menu. "And don't forget the beer." 

The waiter rolls his eyes, the edges of his lips turned up slightly as he walks off to get his order in, and Gilbert leans back in his chair as he watches Roderich walk off before turning to the games on his phone when the Austrian disappears in the fray. 

When he returns, Gilbert eagerly accepts the food and alcohol, thanking Roderich with a full mouth and nearly choking on his bite when the Austrian sneered in disgust as he turned away, muttering about manners. 

Gilbert tips spectacularly as he leaves, shooting Roderich a winning smile and waving as the door closes behind him, smirking to himself as he thinks about the light flush on his waiter's face. 

Roderich's kinda cute, he decides on his way home. 

* * *

The fourth time Gilbert crosses his path, he finally sees the color of his eyes. 

Two weeks and he's strutting in, saluting Feliciano and heading to a table, this time simply waiting for his server. Feli hadn't even bothered handing him a menu. 

Roderich smiles thinly as he walks over. "Gilbert. What will it be today?" 

Gilbert chuckles. "You should know my answer to that, Specs." 

Roderich simply waits patiently. 

Gilbert sighs a long, dramatic sigh. "Fiiiiiiine," he groans petulantly, a smirk spreading on his face. "What's the special?" 

The waiter rolls his eyes, and for the first time, Gilbert sees that they're a deep gem color, such a dark blue they seem purple, shifting hues in the light. "The day you actually know what to order will be the day the world ends, won't it?" he asks rhetorically. "The special today is hand-breaded chicken breasts in a light marinara with melted cheese on penne, with a side of steamed vegetables." 

Gilbert shakes out of his trance, blinking and looking away from such stunning irises. "Hm? Uh… Yeah. That." He feels his cheeks flushing lightly as Roderich gives him a look. 

"Beer?" Roderich asks, eyeing him with a frown. 

Gilbert looks at the table. "Ah… just Coke." 

The Austrian nods slowly and heads off, and Gilbert exhales loudly, slumping in his seat. He knew he thought Roderich was cute, but he hadn't been expecting to find him _that_ attractive, to the point where he'd openly ogle the guy! But damn, his eyes! Gilbert sighs contentedly, a goofy smile spreading on his lips that turns wolfish as his waiter returns with his food and beverage, glaring at him before turning off to tend to his other tables. Gilbert watches his backside as he eats, his eyes running the graceful figure as he smiles a strained smile at the other customers. 

On his way out, Gilbert waves to Feli and watches through the window  as Roderich clears his table, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he walks down the pavement. Even forced, the Austrian's smile made the butterflies in his stomach flutter about in an awesome pleasantness, and he grins widely as he heads home. 

He wouldn't mind seeing it more often.

* * *

The fifth time Gilbert crosses his path, he decides he needs to see him more than once a month. 

Three weeks have passed since his last time there, and this time he has his brother with him. Ludwig was in town on business, and he had the day off to spend with Gilbert. So, being the awesome older brother that he is, he takes Ludwig out to the little establishment, speaking of the great food and good service he's had every time he's gone. Ludwig just smiles faintly and shakes his head endearingly, following his brother to the restaurant. 

The jovial host smiles at him widely, stating the obvious that Gilbert has a friend with him this time and rattling on in excitement that more people are getting to experience the place's atmosphere as he leads them to a table for two. They're handed menus and water as the little guy bounces off, and Ludwig looks a bit red. 

"We haven't been here five minutes and you're crushing on  Feli?" Gilbert teases, smirking at his little brother. "Good job, West."

Ludwig blushes harder and Gilbert snickers as their waiter comes over. Gilbert's grin widens as he recognizes the dark hair and glasses. "Specs!" he greets, stopping the man short and turning to Ludwig. "This guy's been my waiter every time I come! He just can't resist serving the Awesome Me!" 

"I-I beg your pardon!" Roderich snaps, frowning. "You just happen to be seated in my area each time! It's not like I actively seek you out!" 

Gilbert rolls his eyes and eyes him, looking him over with a leer. "Sure you don't. That's why I get you every time." 

The waiter huffs, tossing his hair and pulling out his pad and pen. "As you've guessed," he states, changing the topic, "I'll be your waiter for tonight. What can I get you to drink, gentlemen?" 

Gilbert hisses a laugh under his breath while Ludwig orders. When Roderich turns to him, his grin is wide. 

"What's the special?" he asks sweetly, fluttering his eyes playfully. 

Roderich huffs again. "Seafood alfredo with a white crème sauce, with a side of marinated asparagus and cooked red potatoes." 

"I think I'll have Coke this time, Specs. Think you can manage?" His sneer is devilish. 

Roderich takes the menus with a snort. "I'm not incompetent, Gilbert," he scoffs, turning on his heel and heading to the kitchens. 

Gilbert snickers and Ludwig raises an eyebrow. "Are you this much of a pain to him every time?" he asks with a sigh. 

Gilbert rolls his eyes. "Pfft, no!" he says, leaning back. "Roderich loves being my waiter! I'm an awesome customer! We just have a special routine, I guess. This is normal for us." 

"Right." Ludwig doesn't look convinced. 

Gilbert waves his brother off, sipping from his water. "Whatever. You're not awesome enough to understand our bond." He smirks. 

The blond looks contemplative for a moment. "Do you even really know him?" 

That silences Gilbert, who frowns in thought. Does he know Roderich? Well, besides that he comes from Vienna and works as a waiter, no. He doesn't. The thought hurts, he decides as Roderich brings their food, leaving them to their devices with an unsettled glance at Gilbert's lack of jibes, though Gilbert just shrugs. 

He realizes he _wants_ to know, though. What's his last name? What's his favorite color? Number? Flower? What kind of music does he listen to? What does he do when he's not working? What does he want to do with his life? Is he still in school getting a degree? What was his childhood like? Does he have many friends? What's the rest of his family like? 

Is he even single? 

The questions swim around Gilbert's mind as he and Ludwig finish, leaving the tip and waving to Feli on the way out. The last one keeps near the forefront, working knots into his stomach: _Is he single?_ It was even more pressing than the question of his sexuality – Gilbert's gaydar works better than anyone's, so it isn't a question of whether Roderich is attracted or not. 

There's only one thing he can think to do, and his smirk is pronounced as Ludwig bids him goodnight as they enter their shared house. 

Roderich's going to be seeing him sooner than expected. 

* * *

Sooner than expected happens to be the very next day, followed by the day after and the day after the day after, and the day after the day after.

Every day, Gilbert strolls in anytime between the noon rush and two, always taking the same sections that he knows Roderich will be working, smiling widely with the intent of learning at least one answer to the multitude of questions he had in his head. Some days, he's direct in his asking: 

 _What would you say your favorite number is, Specs? The Awesome Me prefers the awesome number one, obviously. … Pfft. Seven is so overrated._

_Do you have a favorite flower, Prinzessin? A lily or orchid or something girly like that, ja? … Edelweiss is cool, too, I guess._

_Are you still in school or something, Priss? Serving isn't exactly the awesome dream job everyone hopes to get. … A composer? Really? You need to live a bit more, little master._  

Other days, he slips it in a bit more subtly: 

 _My little bruder's in town today. Back from a trip visiting  our_ _Vati. I haven’t seen him in a while.  You see yours often? … Only child, huh? You're missing out._

_No, I will not turn the Awesome Def Leppard down! … What?! Actually, it doesn't surprise me that you're into Chopin. I should've seen that coming, Priss._

_Hey, little master! I'd like you to meet the most awesomest best friends in the world! … Just because you have no friends doesn't mean mine aren't the best._

Occasionally, there's just things he picks up or learns from others: 

 _Roderich always has on a cravat and carries himself with an air of nobility._

_Feli says his last name is Edelstein, a family supposedly descended from Maria Theresa herself._

_He always has on purple, his favorite color because it matches his eyes._

_Gilbert meets his best friend, a woman named Elizabeta who he'd dated for quite some and even proposed to before being left for another woman, though they'd remained close because he'd figured out he preferred his own sex anyway. Gilbert still doesn't like her, and not just because she's smacked him with a random frying pan more times than he'd like._

But every day, he makes sure to always ask the question that has become almost a sort of tradition for them, something familiar and predictable and that makes both of them crack smiles: 

 _What's the special?_  

Gilbert's pretty sure he knows every single dish on the menu simply because Lovino makes sure all his food gets showcased at some point, and he's been eating there enough times to have gone through all the menu's choice of entrées and appetizers about three times now. Even still, he asks Roderich the same thing, like clockwork when he comes in, after he makes chit chat with the Austrian about his life, his ambitions, his goals, and even just day to day happenings. 

Gilbert hasn't giving up teasing and poking fun at the Austrian, who usually just huffs and rolls his eyes before threatening to throw him out and taking his order after stating the special for the day, even though he knows that's exactly what Gilbert is going to order and could've have already had it ready. 

Gilbert likes to think it's because Roderich enjoys it as much as he does. 

* * *

Gilbert smiles up at the cloud-covered sky, quite a rarity for the beginnings of June, but welcome nonetheless. It's still a bright day, and he whistles jovially to laughs from other passersby as he makes his way to his favorite little establishment at the corner across the park, waving with a snicker to Feli as he heads to his reserved table – because really, his name may as well be carved into it as often as he sits there. 

As soon as he's comfortable, he catches his waiter's eyes with a smirk and wink, earning him an eye roll and a smile as the Austrian makes his way over. 

"Good afternoon, Gilbert," Roderich greets, setting down a glass of water. "How are you today?" 

"I'm awesome, as always!" Gilbert smiles. "Hey, Specs. Did you know it's been three months since I first started visiting here?" he asks, eyes sparkling with hidden intent. 

Roderich's eyebrows shoot up in amazement. "Really? I've been putting up with your obnoxious self-praise and ego for a quarter of the year?" he smiles at Gilbert's pout. "Well, happy three month anniversary, I suppose," he chuckles, a light blush on his cheeks. 

Gilbert feels himself redden as well at the warmness in those violet eyes that had so captured him along with the rest of the man in front of him. He grins widely. "Yeah," he returns. "Happy anniversary." 

Gilbert's stomach is doing hyper flips. He'd planned to ask Roderich out that day, because three months had been long enough, and they'd gotten to know each other pretty well over the last couple of weeks. He just isn't sure exactly how to go awesomely go about it. 

As he looks up at Roderich standing patiently by the table, shyly biting his lip like he does when he's nervous and embarrassed, he suddenly knows just how he's going to do this. A triumphant grin breaks across his face as he shifts to a more proactive sitting position. 

"You know, I can't actually sit and enjoy my meal today," he says, watching Roderich's expression grow confused. "I think I'm gonna have to get it to go." 

Roderich looks a bit crestfallen, but pulls himself up straight. "Oh. Okay. What can I get you, then?" 

Gilbert smiles wickedly, propping his chin in his hand on the table. "What's the special, little master?" 

Roderich's lips quirk up at the corners. "Chicken fettuccini alfredo." 

Gilbert grins and bites his lip briefly as he steels himself for the next part. "Can I also get a side of Roderich Edelstein with it, please?" 

God, Gilbert feels so unawesomely cheesy, but he can't hide the relieved smile on his face when Roderich turns completely red in embarrassment and his lips spread wider in his own smile. 

"You're in luck," the Austrian chuckles. "We have just enough left for one more meal, and he's ending his shift early." 

Gilbert winks, standing and grabbing his jacket. "I'll take him," he says, walking to the front to stand by Feli as Roderich runs to the kitchens to give his order. Gilbert watches him run to the employees' room to change out of his work clothes, coming back out in time to grab Gilbert's order and come to the front. 

Feli cheers happily as he rings up the order and waves them goodbye. "Have a nice afternoon you two~!" he calls with a wink. 

Gilbert laughs, waving back as he throws an arm around Roderich. "See ya later, Feli! Oh, and Lud's gonna be in town tomorrow!" He winks back and laughs when Feli's face brightens and reddens all at once. 

Roderich shoots him a devious look before leaning into his side. Gilbert just smiles. 

Today's is definitely his favorite special.

**Author's Note:**

> Send me prompts on tumblr at [whiskey-jim](http://whiskey-jim.tumblr.com) OR [whiskey-jimwrites](http://whiskey-jimwrites.tumblr.com) !!


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